Litleo Line/XY
Litleo has a 20% chance of appearing in the grass on Route 22. The Litleo line stands out due to its unique Fire/Normal-typing. Many Fire-types have difficulty surviving a Nuzlocke, and the Litleo line is no exception with middling defenses and weaknesses to common attacking types such as Water, Ground, Rock, and Fighting. However, the Litleo line has fairly good Special Attack and Speed, allowing the line to burn through many opponents. When taken care of, the Litleo line can become a solid part of a team’s offensive core. Important Matchups * Gym #1 - Viola (Santalune City, Bug-type): Surskit puts Litleo in danger with a combination of Water Sport and STAB Bubble, the latter of which has had its base power increased in Generation VI. In addition, Surskit’s Water Sport lasts for five turns regardless of whether or not Surskit is on the field. If Water Sport is up, Litleo stands little chance of beating Vivillon, especially if Rivalry is working against it (this is unlikely, though, as Litleo has a higher chance of being female than male). Vivillon has a higher Special Defense than Defense, meaning Litleo is less likely to win the battle of attrition against it, due to the compounding damage of Infestation and Tackle. In addition, Infestation will prevent Litleo from being switched out to a teammate, so this matchup should not be attempted if healing items are not an option. It is much easier to use Litleo if Vivillon has taken prior damage from a teammate, as it can switch into a resisted Infestation. This holds especially true if Vivillon has been using Harden, as Litleo’s Ember will cut through those defensive buffs. Ultimately, Litleo should not attempt this matchup without a level advantage. * Professor Sycamore (Lumiose City): Litleo holds an obvious advantage against Bulbasaur, and an obvious disadvantage against Squirtle. Litleo is likely able to defeat Charmander if the Rivalry boost is working in its favor as it has STAB on its Tackle, but this is unlikely as Charmander is male and Litleo has a higher chance of being female. In addition, SmokeScreen may become troublesome, so be sure to attempt this matchup only if you have teammates to safely switch into if Litleo is put in danger. * Tierno (Route 5): Litleo provides Tierno’s Corphish an opportunity to set up Swords Dance, and should avoid this battle. * Tierno and Trevor (Route 7, tag battle with rival): Litleo provides an opportunity for Corphish to set up Swords Dance, so a Pokémon that can KO it quickly should be used instead. Trevor’s Pikachu poses little threat, but its Static can activate off of Litleo’s Headbutt, so be cautious. Litleo resists Flabébé’s primary STAB attack and should defeat it handily. * Gym #2 - Grant (Cyllage City, Rock-type): The Pokémon of this gym resist both of Litleo’s STAB attacks. As such, Litleo should not be used in this gym. * Korrina (Geosenge Town, Fighting-type): Both of Korrina’s Lucario, while weak to Litleo’s Fire moves, are able to hit with super effective Power-Up Punch and potentially KO. Litleo should not be used in this battle. * Rival (Tower of Mastery): Litleo is likely able to come out on top of any one of Absol or Meowstic (especially if Rivalry is working in its favor) but will likely struggle to defeat both of them without a substantial level advantage. Litleo carrying Take Down is likely best suited for this, but also carries inherent risk due to the move’s recoil. If you’ve managed to grind high enough to have learned Echoed Voice, this is likely Litleo’s most viable move to battle your rival’s Meowstic or Absol. Litleo brings an obvious advantage to a battle against Quilladin and a disadvantage against Frogadier. Braixen should only be attempted if Litleo is at full health and/or has a level advantage. Pyroar should handily defeat all Pokémon not named Frogadier. * Gym #3 - Korrina (Shalour City, Fighting-type): Litleo/Pyroar is weak to the STAB attacks of the Pokémon in this Gym and should avoid this battle. * Rival (Coumarine City): Under the right conditions, your Litleo can potentially sweep through your rival’s team with Echoed Voice momentum (especially if boosted by Rivalry and/or the Metronome held item). However, Meowstic’s Light Screen can put a damper on this strategy and may be best dealt with by a physical Normal-type move like Take Down or Headbutt. Frogadier should be avoided, but Litleo should handily defeat Quilladin, and can likely defeat Braixen in a one-on-one matchup especially with Echoed Voice momentum. Pyroar will likely be able to defeat all opponents except possibly Frogadier. * Gym #4 - Ramos (Coumarine City, Grass-type): Litleo/Pyroar has a wonderful opportunity in this gym to Work Up several times while battling Jumpluff, and sweep its way through the battle. If items are restricted in your Nuzlocke, an eye should be kept on Litleo/Pyroar’s health, as Leech Seed + Acrobatics can wear it down surprisingly quickly. None of Ramos’s Pokémon pose any threat if you have managed to grind enough for Pyroar to learn Flamethrower, but Fire Fang works well with Work Up boosts. Gogoat is somewhat dangerous to switch into due to it knowing Bulldoze, and has a chance of defeating Litleo, but Pyroar has little to worry about. Gogoat poses little threat if Litleo/Pyroar has boosted a few times using Work Up before it is sent out. It should be noted, however, that most Litleo/Pyroar are female, so Rivalry variants may want to boost an extra time or two to account for this if Rivalry is working against you. * Aliana (Kalos Power Plant): Aliana's Mightyena only poses a threat if Pyroar is unlucky with Swagger. * Gym #5 - Clemont (Lumiose City, Electric-type): Pyroar is very well suited for taking on this gym. Pyroar can Work Up against Emolga, and is likely able to KO it in two moves even without the Work Up boost. Clemont’s other Pokémon take severe damage from Fire moves (Magneton due to Steel-typing, Heliolisk due to its ability, Dry Skin). Be cautious of Magneton’s Sturdy, as it will survive one hit. * Rival (Route 14): Pyroar will likely be able to defeat any of your rival’s Pokémon except Greninja in a one-on-one battle, but will have difficulty defeating all of them without a substantial level advantage. Meowstic’s Light Screen also creates some challenges, so if a teammate is able to take it out quickly, they should be used instead. * Gym #6 - Valerie (Laverre City, Fairy-type): Pyroar can use the Will-O-Wisp TM found on Route 14 to cripple Valerie’s Mawile. This will allow it to boost with Work Up to the point that even with Rivalry working against you, Pyroar should be able to burn through Mr. Mime’s and Sylveon’s high Special Defense. Remember that Valerie's Mr. Mime has Soundproof, so avoid using sound-based moves like Echoed Voice on it. * Celosia and Bryony (Poké Ball Factory, tag battle with rival): Manectric and Liepard aren't especially threatening to Pyroar, but it's a good idea in a double battle situation to have a back up Pokémon to switch into on the off chance that you are targeted by both opponents and sustain major damage. * Mable (Frost Cavern): While Houndoom's Flash Fire would normally deter most Fire-types, Pyroar's Hyper Voice should out-damage Houndoom's Dark-type moves. Avoid using Work Up as this will boost Houndoom's Foul Play. * Rival (Anistar City): In general, Pyroar can deal well with most any of your rival’s Pokémon in a one-on-one matchup, but will have difficulty sweeping their team without a substantial level advantage. Meowstic no longer carries Light Screen, so Pyroar should have an easier time dealing with it. Will-O-Wisp allows you to cripple Absol’s Attack and should easily put the battle in Pyroar’s favor. Exercise caution when battling your rival’s starter; Delphox’s high Special Defense allows it to withstand Pyroar’s Special Normal-type moves as it retaliates with a strong Psychic, while Chesnaught threatens Pyroar with a powerful, super effective Brick Break. These Pokémon are especially dangerous if Rivalry is working in their favor, and should not be battled without a level advantage. Greninja and Vaporeon should be avoided entirely, but Pyroar should be able to deal with Flareon or Jolteon with relative ease. * Gym #7 - Olympia (Anistar City, Psychic-type): Pyroar may have difficulty cutting through Olympia’s Specially-Defensive Pokémon due to Calm Mind. Pyroar’s most viable option for this gym may actually be a combination of Work Up and Crunch or Shadow Claw. Managing Pyroar’s HP is key with this strategy; it is not advised to attempt this if healing items are restricted. Olympia’s Slowking is particularly dangerous due to carrying a super effective move in Power Gem. * Lysandre battle #1 (Lysandre Labs): Mienfoo and Gyarados should be avoided due to having powerful super effective moves that Pyroar fears. Murkrow, however, is not threatening and can either be burned with Will-O-Wisp or outright KO’d with a strong STAB attack. Lysandre’s Pyroar is a relatively even match; if Rivalry is working for you, it’s also working for him; and vice versa. Female Unnerve Pyroar actually carry an advantage in this matchup. * Aliana (Lysandre Labs): If you manage to use Will-O-Wisp before it uses Taunt, Mightyena poses no threat. Pyroar will likely be able to defeat it easily even without burning it beforehand. Will-O-Wisp also cripples her Druddigon, and Pyroar should be able to defeat it with Hyper Voice even though it knows Surf; to be certain, though, keep an eye on Pyroar's HP. * Celosia (Lysandre Labs): The most difficult aspect of this battle is that there is no opportunity heal or reorder your Pokémon before battling Bryony. Pyroar may be a poor choice to lead the team due to its relatively low defenses. Celosia takes advantage of several luck-based strategies; Pyroar can be put into a compromising situation if paralyzed by Manectric or poisoned by Drapion. In addition, Drapion can boost its stats with Acupressure or score a critical hit with Night Slash, so Pyroar should only attempt this match-up if you are certain a KO will be achieved in two moves. * Bryony (Lysandre Labs): Neither of Bryony's Pokémon are especially threatening, but chip damage and status can put Pyroar in an unpleasant situation surprisingly quickly. Liepard knows two priority moves in Fake Out and Sucker Punch, so keep an eye on Pyroar's health; Will-O-Wisp makes Liepard's Sucker Punch nearly useless, but Taunt can prevent you from using non-damaging moves. Pyroar resists two of Bisharp's moves and can switch into it easily, but should be cautious of critical hits from Night Slash if it has taken previous damage or a status condition. * Mable (Lysandre Labs): A Pyroar at equal or higher level to her Houndoom should be able to KO it with Hyper Voice before Foul Play or Snarl make much of a difference. Be sure to watch the Rivalry match-up as it can tip the battle in favor of one Pokémon or the other. While Weavile's Low Sweep is super effective, a Pyroar at or near full health has little to worry about from this fragile Ice-type. * Xerosic (Lysandre Labs): Crobat can be burned with Will-O-Wisp or outright KO'd by Pyroar fairly easily. While it may be tempting to burn Malamar and cripple its Attack before it has a chance to use Retaliate or Superpower, this strategy is risky as Will-O-Wisp does not have perfect accuracy, and Contrary Superpower boosts stack up to dangerous levels quickly even if it is burned. It is best to use a Pokémon that is less vulnerable to Superpower boosts against Malamar. * Lysandre battle #2 (Team Flare Secret HQ): Pyroar should avoid battling Mienshao and Gyarados due to their powerful super effective moves. Honchkrow poses no threat if burned via Will-O-Wisp. The Pyroar Lysandre uses in this battle has Unnerve as its ability, not Rivalry, so you will be at a disadvantage if your Rivalry Pyroar is of the opposite gender. Male Rivalry Pyroar or Unnerve Pyroar with a level advantage should win this match-up barring critical hits. * Xerneas (Team Flare Secret HQ, X only): While Pyroar is a relatively fragile Pokémon, it resists both of Xerneas' damaging moves and can burn it with Will-O-Wisp, simultaneously weakening its Megahorn and making Xerneas easier to capture. However, Pyroar can do little to prevent it from boosting with Geomancy, and should switch to a more defensive teammate if too many Geomancy boosts accumulate. * Yveltal (Team Flare Secret HQ, Y only): Yveltal and Pyroar have a neutral match-up. Pyroar is notable for being able to burn Yveltal with Will-O-Wisp, which may be useful in capturing Yveltal if you have no other way of inducing status. However, this does prevent you from using a potentially more helpful status like Paralysis or Sleep. If you find your team has no way of weakening Yveltal without KO-ing it, the passive damage from a Burn may help lower Yveltal's HP to a point where it can be captured. That said, Pyroar has low defenses and a low level Pyroar would provide a substantial amount of HP to Yveltal's Oblivion Wing. * Lysandre battle #3 (Team Flare Secret HQ): While Pyroar fears Mienshao or Mega-Gyarados, it should be able to easily defeat Honchkrow due to a Will-O-Wisp burn. Only attempt to defeat Lysandre's Pyroar if you have the advantage due to higher level or Rivalry. * Professor Sycamore (Couriway Town): Pyroar should be able to defeat Venusaur easily and has no business battling Blastoise. It will likely be able to win the battle of attrition against Charizard due to STAB Hyper Voice as well, as long as Pyroar is at a higher level and does not have Rivalry working against it. * Shauna (Route 19): These battles are notable as there is no opportunity to reorder your Pokémon between battles. Pyroar may be a poor choice to lead the team due to its sub-par defenses. Shauna's Delcatty poses little threat to Pyroar, but Goodra's Earthquake is somewhat frightening. While Goodra may be manageable if burned by Will-O-Wisp, it is likely best left to another, less fragile teammate. All Starter Pokémon carry inherent risks; Greninja carries Water Shuriken, which has increased priority and will hit before Pyroar has a chance to burn Greninja, Delphox has an opportunity to set up Calm Mind against Pyroar, and Chesnaught may deal serious damage with STAB, super effective Brick Break. Delphox may be manageable with Work Up and/or Crunch or Shadow Claw, but Psychic is dangerous if it gets a critical or lowers Pyroar's Special Defense. Chesnaught will likely be OHKO'd with Flamethrower before it is able to retaliate with Brick Break, but players on Set-Mode should be cautious when switching in. As it knows Spiky Shield, Chesnaught is likely to use this move first and may give Pyroar an opportunity to switch in. * Tierno (Route 19): Pyroar is likely able to KO Talonflame before it does too much damage with the Swords Dance/Acrobatics combination, but this is less risky if left to a more defensive teammate or one that resists its Flying-type STAB. As his Roserade only knows Petal Dance, Pyroar should easily be able to defeat it. Pyroar fears Crawdaunt's Crabhammer and should leave this to another teammate. If playing in Set-Mode, avoid using Pyroar if his Crawdaunt is still alive as the turn you switch may give Crawdaunt a chance to set up Swords Dance. * Trevor (Route 19): The Raichu match-up is neutral, so Pyroar should avoid it if under-leveled or Rivalry is not in its favor. Pyroar is likely going to be Paralyzed from this battle, so if Pyroar is your best answer to Florges, you may want to avoid pitting it against Raichu. Aerodactyl resists both of Pyroar's STAB moves and should be left to another teammate. Pyroar all the moves known by Florges, but Confide can lower Pyroar's Special Attack to the point that its damage output is paltry. Pyroar will also be unable to burn it with Will-O-Wisp if it has used Misty Terrain, so hoping for a critical hit or waiting for Misty Terrain to wear off may be Pyroar's best bet if it has been hit with Confide too many times. * Gym #8 - Wulfric (Snowbelle City, Ice-type): Wulfric stands little chance of beating a Pyroar as all of his Pokémon take massive damage from Flamethrower. The biggest risk to Pyroar is Cryogonal's Confuse Ray, but using Work Up once against Abomasnow will easily take Pyroar past the point where it will be able to OHKO Cryogonal. * Rival (Victory Road): One coverage option Pyroar has is using the Dark Pulse TM, which can allow it to hit your rival's Meowstic with a super effective attack. However, adding this move to Pyroar does mean that you'll be deleting either Will-O-Wisp or Work Up (usually the former, as it can be re-added with a TM for the specific situation). Even without it, Pyroar likely will be able to KO any one of Meowstic, Jolteon, or Flareon easily, but if Rivalry works against it or it is at a lower level, it may struggle to defeat several Pokémon in a row. Will-O-Wisp cripples Absol, but if it misses, you give it the opportunity to use Swords Dance. Altaria has high Special Defense and knows Confide, so Pyroar is not recommended in this match-up. If Pyroar must battle it, burning it with Will-O-Wisp and/or using a Work Up-boosted Physical move may be the best options. Avoid battling Vaporeon and Greninja due to their super effective STAB attacks. If Pyroar carries Dark Pulse, it will likely win the battle of attrition against Delphox, but do not attempt this match-up without backup options in place. Be careful of switching into Chesnaught as its Brick Break will hurt, but Pyroar is likely able to KO as long as it's not under-leveled or has Rivalry working against it. * Elite Four Wikstrom (Pokémon League, Ironworks Chamber, Steel-type): Pyroar should be able to one-shot both Klefki and Scizor with Flamethrower or another Fire STAB move. Its immunity to Shadow Claw also grants it an edge against Aegislash, though it is inadvisable to hit it when it's still in its Shield Forme, as its bulk is majestic and it could retaliate with Sacred Sword. Try to bait Iron Head with a switch-in and then off it with Flamethrower. Probopass has STAB Power Gem and takes neutral damage from Fire moves, thus it should be avoided. * Elite Four Malva (Pokémon League, Blazing Chamber, Fire-type): A female Pyroar with Rivalry has a perfectly even matchup against Malva's Pyroar, whereas a male Pyroar with Unnerve has an advantageous matchup, due to Malva's Pyroar having Rivalry. Other combinations should avoid her Pyroar unless higher levelled. Pyroar should also not fight Torkoal due to it having Curse and Earthquake. Chandelure is a good opponent for Pyroar instead, as it can only damage it with Flamethrower or (indirectly) with Confuse Ray, whereas Pyroar can deal super effective damage with Dark Pulse. Talonflame's Brave Bird is strong and Pyroar should be wary of it, but it is possible to weaken it before switching to a better physical tank. * Elite Four Drasna (Pokémon League, Dragonmark Chamber, Dragon-type): Dragalge has Surf and Druddigon has Revenge, thus both of these Pokémon should not be fought by Pyroar. Hyper Voice gives Pyroar a neutral matchup against Altaria and Noivern, though Noivern's Super Fang and higher Speed will make it difficult to win both matchups, especially without healing. A female Pyroar with Rivalry has better chances, due to the offensive boosts. * Elite Four Siebold (Pokémon League, Flood Chamber, Water-type): Pyroar has a massive type disadvantage in this matchup, and should not be used. * Champion Diantha (Pokémon League, Radiant Chamber): Pyroar has a poor matchup against Hawlucha due to Flying Press, and against Tyrantrum due to Head Smash. It should also avoid Goodra, which has Muddy Water and great special bulk to fend off Pyroar's Hyper Voice. Aurorus has no Rock moves, and can be nailed with one or two Flamethrowers. Gourgeist also represents no threat whatsoever for Pyroar. However, if it uses Trick-Or-Treat, bear in mind for future battles that Hyper Voice is no longer supported by STAB, and that Gourgeist carries Shadow Sneak, which Pyroar would then be weak to. Mega Gardevoir is a strong special attacker, and should not be fought by Pyroar, which is likely to be OHKOed by Psychic. * Post-Game: Keep on keeping Pyroar away from super effective hits and remember to consider eventual Rivalry-induced modifications to its offensive stats. Other than that, logic mostly applies. Moves Litleo starts with Tackle, Leer and Ember, having two good STABs right off the bat. It will also have Work Up if caught at level 8 or higher, another useful move that can hold its own for a consistent part of the game. Headbutt comes at level 11, as a welcome upgrade to Tackle, and also very strong at this point in the game; then there is Noble Roar, the line's signature move, at level 15, but unfortunately not very useful. Take Down is learned at level 20, but your call whether you want to give up Headbutt's accuracy and lack of recoil for higher power. Fire Fang comes at level 23, and should be more powerful than Ember on most Litleo, except possibly Modest ones. Ignore Endeavor at level 28. Take Echoed Voice at level 33, shortly before evolution; paired with the Metronome, it can deal significant damage starting from the second turn, and Litleo should have enough bulk for a while to afford taking a hit before retaliating at full power. Flamethrower comes at level 38 for Pyroar, but you have the option to wait until level 36 as Litleo if you want to have it sooner. Crunch comes at level 42; it's a good move on paper, but Pyroar won't be able to do much damage with it, due to its average Attack and lack of Moxie. Hyper Voice, at level 48, is likely Pyroar's best offensive Normal STAB option. Incinerate, at level 51, is completely unnecessary when you already have Flamethrower; you can take Overheat at level 57 if you so choose, but this move will likely compromise Pyroar's long-term stay on the battlefield and is not recommended. It should be noted that Flamethrower and Overheat are also TM moves, however, and can be retaught at will. There is also Fire Blast, for fans of power who don't want the Special Attack drop. Other good options are first Snarl and then Dark Pulse, which offer good coverage paired with Fire and Normal STABs. Unfortunately, Pyroar's special coverage ends here, short of Hidden Power. However, there are other moves that Pyroar players may find interesting. Will-O-Wisp helps greatly with durability, for instance, and can make Pyroar a physical tank when needed. Wild Charge offers a countermeasure against Water-types as well, though it should not be considered other than in extreme situations. Lastly, both Bulldoze and Dig can offer temporary coverage, until Litleo's better special moves become accessible. Recommended moveset: Will-O-Wisp, Flamethrower, Hyper Voice, Dark Pulse Other Litleo's stats Pyroar's stats * What Nature do I want? Modest is ideal in the long run, as it preserves its full offensive power without denting the not-that-bad defenses or the crucial Speed. However, any Litleo with a -Attack nature will be harder to train up, due to a good chunk of its moveset being physically based. * Which Ability do I want? Both have their upsides and downsides. Rivalry is situational and can be a great advantage or an unwelcome nerf depending on the situation, whereas Unnerve gives more stability to its attacking stats, but without the boost. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? You should have a Pyroar around the time you reach Coumarine City, or shortly after at the latest. Litleo should be carrying an Eviolite as often as possible in its not fully evolved state. * How good is the Litleo line in a Nuzlocke? It has some good and some bad matchups. Most of its mid-game matchups are not stellar due to its late evolution. Overall, a fairly reliable Pokémon to use, especially after it evolves, but it will not be too easy to get it there. * Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Rock, Water * Resistances: Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice, Fairy * Immunities: Ghost * Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Poison, Electric, Psychic, Dragon, Dark Category:X/Y Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses